Biggs: 10 thoughts on Bears' loss to 49ers

November 20, 2012|By Brad Biggs, Tribune reporter

Jason Campbell of the Bears is sacked by Aldon Smith of the 49ers in the second quarter. (John J. Kim, Chicago Tribune)

SAN FRANCISCO – Ten thoughts after the Chicago Bears were routed 32-7 Monday night by the 49ers, their second consecutive loss and one that dropped them out of sole possession of first place in the NFC North.

1. Everything that did not happen a week ago against a talented 3-4 front with skilled pass rushers did at Candlestick Park. And it came like an avalanche.

The Bears were able to keep Houston's J.J. Watt, who entered last week’s game with an NFL-high 10 1/2 sacks, at bay. That's why a 13-6 loss to the Texans at Soldier Field wasn’t considered a disaster. The Texans didn’t register a sack and the Bears were forced to play without quarterback Jay Cutler in the second half. It provided some optimism and a feeling that although the offense couldn’t produce a touchdown, it wasn’t a meltdown.

The Bears were at home, though, and the rain created a slippery track that made it difficult for pass rushers to explode off the ball. On the road and in dry conditions Monday night, the Bears might have handed 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith the season sack title. Heck, they might have put him in position to eclipse Michael Strahan’s single-season record, the one that deserves a permanent asterisk because of how Brett Favre laid down for him in the final game of the season.

Smith might not need an asterisk after he set a record for Bears opponents with 5 1/2 sacks. It eclipsed the previous mark of four by former Packers defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila in a Jan. 2, 2005 meeting. Only four times in NFL history has a player had more sacks.

Smith has overtaken Watt for the sack lead with 15. That means he is 7 1/2 sacks shy of Strahan's record with six games remaining. The record could come in the Week 17 finale at Candlestick Park against the Arizona Cardinals, who have surrendered an NFL-high 44 sacks, 10 more than the Bears.

Here is what is disturbing about sack totals vs. the Bears. Of the six games featuring the most sacks against the club, three have come in the last 11 regular-season games (see chart below). Jared Allen, who the Bears will see this Sunday at Soldier Field, fell a half-sack short of Strahan’s record when he had 3 1/2 in the season finale at the Metrodome last season. Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews had 3 1/2 in Week 2 when the offense was similarly in shambles. And here Smith made Bears cornerback Charles Tillman’s name obsolete when it comes to discussion for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“I really just try to make people respect my power,” Smith. “I don't think I'm one of the bigger linebackers or ends, but I want people to know there's some power in here, too.”

I asked 49ers defensive end Justin Smith, a 12-year veteran who can rush the quarterback in his own right, what makes Aldon Smith, well, unblockable?

“(Shoot), he can play,” Justin Smith said. “Cat has been out of the bag for a little while. He’s a natural born pass rusher. He’s got the length, he’s got the attitude, you gotta have some nastiness to you. He’s got all of it. Speed. Power. Arm length. Hand size. Full bag of tricks. What do they call a baseball player that can do it all? A player with all the tools. He’s one of those guys.”

The Bears aren’t the only offense on a winning team that is struggling to protect the quarterback. Their 34 sacks are the second-most and the Packers are fourth with 32 allowed. The 49ers are No. 5 with 31, although the Bears only got one against Colin Kaepernick in his first career start.

But these meltdown games where opposing defenders go off on the Bears quarterback, typically Jay Cutler, are problematic. It’s demoralizing for an offense and leaves the quarterback in harm’s way. It’s not a scheme issue. What the Bears have is a talent deficiency and this is a deep-rooted problem that goes back to the early years of Jerry Angelo’s administration. I’ve written time and time again how the Bears ignored the offensive line in the draft and therefore had no young players in the system. When Angelo made an effort to get one in 2008, he went bust with Chris Williams, now an ex-Bear. This isn’t a new problem and those who want to cast blame on offensive coordinator Mike Tice need to take a long look at the man who bears ultimate responsibility for the offense: Lovie Smith. But ultimately, what the Bears have here is a personnel issue on the offensive line, one that can be a surprise to positively no one, new general manager Phil Emery included. There is no quick solution and that is the answer no one wants to accept.

Aldon Smith is a difficult player to block and it’s very hard to have a clean game against him. But there is a distinct difference between Smith having one or two sacks and him living rent free in the Bears’ backfield while setting a sack record for “Monday Night Football.”